The National Transportation Safety Board went a step further on Tuesday than anyone in the cell phone industry will appreciate, and that's a sure bet. It recommended --- and that's all it is, a recommendation --- that cell phone use while someone is behind the wheel of a vehicle be completely banned.
It's non-binding, and there are two exceptions: you could still use GPS navigation devices, and you could still use your cell phone in an emergency.
In addition, any such ban would only apply to the driver, not any passengers.
Some studies have determined that even with headsets and hands-free setups, drivers talking on cell phones are still distracted by the activity. Safety advocates have long called for such an all-out ban on cell phone use while driving.
It's not just cell phones that are a cause of distracted driving. Car makers are increasing their use of electronics and connected services. Do we really need services like Ford's Sync and Toyota's Entune?
Of course, those who have a vested interested in the sales of technology will say there's no need to be so concerned about distracted driving. Jason Oxman, a senior vice president of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), criticized the NTSB over its recommendation on a ban even of such hands-free devices like Bluetooth headsets.
Oxman said, "It may be that NTSB, in searching for a solution, is not aware of all of the technologies that exist today, and that is one reason we look forward to the opportunity to work with them." Oxman also suggested that the NTSB focus on drivers' choices, rather than specific devices.
Here is the problem with the CEA's stance. Humans have a tendency to believe they are capable of far more than they actually are. In addition, even in states with laws outlawing driving without a hands-free setup, drivers tend to ignore the law. They simply believe they are "above the law," using little common sense.
Humans can multi-task, that's true. But studies have shown that when they do so, none of the tasks is done as well as they might be individually.
While gadget makers, retailers, and certainly the cell phone industry (we expect a statement from the CTIA any moment now) may slam the NTSB's recommendation, scientists have already come forth and applauded it.
Dr. Lisandro Irizarry, chairman of the emergency department at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York said, "I wholeheartedly support a ban on personal electronic devices, which provide an unprecedented degree of distraction that's very dangerous. Everyone from teenagers to senior citizens is texting. It's very easy to get distracted, especially when driving, and end up in the ER."
Dr. Marcel Just, director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is a neuroscientist who has studied how the use cell phones affects driving ability. He said, "Use of cellphones while driving --- handheld or not --- is really a hazard, a threat to public safety. It costs lives.
"When you're driving, it feels kind of automatic, so it feels like you're not doing anything, but it's not true. Various parts of your brain are working on scanning the road ahead, maintaining your speed, maintaining your lane --- all of those things are being done even when it feels like it's not.
"Obviously, we can do two things at the same time. But the critical point is we can't do them as well at the same time."
The question will all the distractions in a car, whether it be your cell phone or something else, is is it really that important?
The five-member NTSB board made its recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup which occurred in Missouri in 2010. The NTSB's investigation determined that the initial collision in the multi-car accident which occurred near Gray Summit, Mo., was caused by an inattentive 19 year-old-pickup truck driver who had either sent or received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes immediately before the crash.
The pickup truck was traveling at 55 MPH when it crashed into the rear of a tractor-trailer truck that had slowed due to highway construction. The pickup, in turn, was rear-ended by a school bus. A second school bus rammed into the back of the first bus.
The 19-year-old pickup truck driver was killed, as was a 15-year-old student on one of the school buses. Thirty-eight other people were injured.
Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the NTSB, said at a news conference in Washington, "Driving was not his [the driver who started the pile-up] only priority. No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life."
It's non-binding, and there are two exceptions: you could still use GPS navigation devices, and you could still use your cell phone in an emergency.
In addition, any such ban would only apply to the driver, not any passengers.
Some studies have determined that even with headsets and hands-free setups, drivers talking on cell phones are still distracted by the activity. Safety advocates have long called for such an all-out ban on cell phone use while driving.
It's not just cell phones that are a cause of distracted driving. Car makers are increasing their use of electronics and connected services. Do we really need services like Ford's Sync and Toyota's Entune?
Of course, those who have a vested interested in the sales of technology will say there's no need to be so concerned about distracted driving. Jason Oxman, a senior vice president of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), criticized the NTSB over its recommendation on a ban even of such hands-free devices like Bluetooth headsets.
Oxman said, "It may be that NTSB, in searching for a solution, is not aware of all of the technologies that exist today, and that is one reason we look forward to the opportunity to work with them." Oxman also suggested that the NTSB focus on drivers' choices, rather than specific devices.
Here is the problem with the CEA's stance. Humans have a tendency to believe they are capable of far more than they actually are. In addition, even in states with laws outlawing driving without a hands-free setup, drivers tend to ignore the law. They simply believe they are "above the law," using little common sense.
Humans can multi-task, that's true. But studies have shown that when they do so, none of the tasks is done as well as they might be individually.
While gadget makers, retailers, and certainly the cell phone industry (we expect a statement from the CTIA any moment now) may slam the NTSB's recommendation, scientists have already come forth and applauded it.
Dr. Lisandro Irizarry, chairman of the emergency department at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York said, "I wholeheartedly support a ban on personal electronic devices, which provide an unprecedented degree of distraction that's very dangerous. Everyone from teenagers to senior citizens is texting. It's very easy to get distracted, especially when driving, and end up in the ER."
Dr. Marcel Just, director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is a neuroscientist who has studied how the use cell phones affects driving ability. He said, "Use of cellphones while driving --- handheld or not --- is really a hazard, a threat to public safety. It costs lives.
"When you're driving, it feels kind of automatic, so it feels like you're not doing anything, but it's not true. Various parts of your brain are working on scanning the road ahead, maintaining your speed, maintaining your lane --- all of those things are being done even when it feels like it's not.
"Obviously, we can do two things at the same time. But the critical point is we can't do them as well at the same time."
The question will all the distractions in a car, whether it be your cell phone or something else, is is it really that important?
The five-member NTSB board made its recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup which occurred in Missouri in 2010. The NTSB's investigation determined that the initial collision in the multi-car accident which occurred near Gray Summit, Mo., was caused by an inattentive 19 year-old-pickup truck driver who had either sent or received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes immediately before the crash.
The pickup truck was traveling at 55 MPH when it crashed into the rear of a tractor-trailer truck that had slowed due to highway construction. The pickup, in turn, was rear-ended by a school bus. A second school bus rammed into the back of the first bus.
The 19-year-old pickup truck driver was killed, as was a 15-year-old student on one of the school buses. Thirty-eight other people were injured.
Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the NTSB, said at a news conference in Washington, "Driving was not his [the driver who started the pile-up] only priority. No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life."
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